Bending beams for travel

[Terry]

I have been hunting high and low for information on bending the stock beams for more travel/ lift. I have a machine shop for anything that I need to do as well as a cad system for drawings. I have a craiglist ad out for the explorer leaf springs and want to level put the front and rear of the truck. I dont have the money to buy the beams "two kids in collage". Do I need to make an alingment fixture to bend them correctly? Any info would be a help.

Terry

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'll bet most on here will tell you to buy them already done. I'll give you a link so you can search on how to do it yourself;
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/
I have seen on this site a write up on how to bend straight axles, and the same techniques would be used for bending your own beams.
BUT your are taking other peoples lives in your hands so you better be damn sure you know what you're doing. Especially when it comes to heating and quenching suspension parts. If I was to do the same, I'd be testing the beams on a off road race track or similar before taking them to the street. I'm pretty sure there are liability issues that may be hard to overcome legally. Think really hard before you go for it.
Good luck,

Richard

edit; a fixture was used.
edit #2; check the forums at
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/
http://www.dezertrangers.com/vb/index.php
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/

 

[Terry]

I'll bet most on here will tell you to buy them already done. I'll give you a link so you can search on how to do it yourself;
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/
I have seen on this site a write up on how to bend straight axles, and the same techniques would be used for bending your own beams.
BUT your are taking other peoples lives in your hands so you better be damn sure you know what you're doing. Especially when it comes to heating and quenching suspension parts. If I was to do the same, I'd be testing the beams on a off road race track or similar before taking them to the street. I'm pretty sure there are liability issues that may be hard to overcome legally. Think really hard before you go for it.
Good luck,

Richard

edit; a fixture was used.
edit #2; check the forums at
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/
http://www.dezertrangers.com/vb/index.php
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/

I am thinking that for the type of off raoding I will be doing bent beams should be far better than a simple lift kit. Do you know what type of material the beams are made of? Im not building a prerunner more of a trail rig.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm not absolutely sure on anything.
Pre '89? beams are forged? and can be bent, and/or welded. The beams have a notice cast in them if unusable.
Best to research on here and on the sites I listed first.

Richard

 

[Terry]

Is there someone here that can bend them for me or know who I can send them to? What do I do for springs?

 

[doorgunner]

I can't help much....when I took my straight-axle truck to get it aligned...the mechanic put it on a rack that is used for aligning large flatbed delivery trucks....he placed small hydraulic jacks between the axle and the rack/wrapped adustable chains around the axle & rack/got a BIG heating torch and heated the axle where he needed/then used the adjustable chains to "bend" the axle...

 

[Northern]

@ Terry.
check out this link from DR, it will show you how to pie cut and extend your pre-88 beams. if thats not what your looking for then I have a complete 5.5 fabtech frontend kit up for sale., just shipping will suck.